The invention relates to improvements in apparatus for manipulating receptacles (known as and hereinafter called trays) for temporary storage of plain or filter cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos or filter rod sections, i.e., rod-shaped articles of the tobacco processing industry. More particularly, the invention relates to improvements in methods of and apparatus for manipulating containers for temporary confinement of filled and empty trays in cigarette making plants and similar establishments.
Trays for storage of rod-shaped articles of the tobacco processing industry (hereinafter called cigarettes or filter cigarettes for short) are utilized to take up the surplus of freshly produced cigarettes when the output of one or more cigarette makers exceeds the requirements of the processing machine or machines which receive cigarettes from such maker or makers. Filled trays are maintained in a position of readiness for evacuation of their contents when the requirements of one or more processing machines (e.g., cigarette packing machines) exceed the momentary output of the corresponding cigarette maker or makers.
As a rule, a supply of empty trays is maintained at an upper level of a tray filling machine, and the empty trays are caused to descend toward and ultimately to a lower level in the course of the tray filling operation. On the other hand, a supply of filled trays is maintained at an upper level in a tray evacuating or emptying machine, and the filled trays are caused to descend toward and ultimately reach a lower level during removal of their contents, e.g., for introduction into a filter tipping machine or into a cigarette or filter cigarette packing machine.
It has been found that the transport of empty and filled trays to and from tray filling machines as well as the transport of filled and empty trays to and from tray evacuating or emptying machines can be simplified if sets or arrays or groups of empty or filled trays are transported while being confined in so-called containers. Presently utilized containers constitute substantially box-shaped bodies which are designed to afford convenient introduction of filled or empty trays as well as to permit convenient withdrawal or expulsion of empty or filled trays.
A drawback of heretofore known apparatus for manipulation of containers for empty and filled trays is that they occupy a substantial amount of floor space as well as that the controls for movements of containers along their paths are rather complex.